Have you ever tried to quiet that little voice in your head? You know the one I am referring to…the one that keeps chirping all kinds of crazy stories. Like an endless playlist, this voice shuffles random noises through your mind. When we hear that familiar sound, we become tempted to act–not think–just act, when the exact opposite is required.

I call the voice inside my head that’s always spouting off what I should be doing, thinking and saying my monkey mind. Even if yours doesn’t have a name, you know that critical, controlling, judgmental voice I’m talking about.

Imagine how nice it would be to escape the should’s, the have to’s and the ought to’s of adult life. As crazy as it sounds, you don’t have to act upon every thought that triggers you. You don’t have to cling to them or push them away. Consider what would happen if we simply paid closer attention to these thoughts instead of indulging or ignoring each one. This is one of the hardest things to do.

When we learn to master the little voice that holds us back–the bigger, bolder and more powerful voice emerges.

I invite out you to notice when that little voice inside triggers you to react. The urges to act that we experience are like waves; they simply start small, rise to a crest and then dissolve. The more we raise awareness to the natural process of rising and passing, the less hooked we become by the actual content of our thoughts and feelings. When we learn to Ride the Wave instead of fighting the tide, we are less likely to be pulled in and sadly disappointed by the wipe out that is likely to follow.